In 123 older adults, six months of hard intervals cut fat while lean mass held; moderate training did not

What the research found

Study (six-month exercise comparison). ScienceDaily carried the University of the Sunshine Coast account on 9 October 2026. Grace Rose, Mia Schaumberg, and colleagues report in Maturitas (2025; 203:108763; doi 10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763). The news date is later than the journal year. 123 healthy adults from Greater Brisbane, average age 72 and average body mass index about 26, did three supervised 45-minute gym sessions a week for six months, assigned to high-intensity intervals, moderate intensity, or low intensity. Body composition was scanned at the start, at three months, and at six months. High and moderate training reduced fat mass more than low intensity. Moderate training also came with a small drop in lean mass. Interval training reduced fat without that lean-mass drop. High and moderate training improved fat carried around the middle, including visceral fat. The release says the changes were small and not clearly meaningful in the clinic once measurement uncertainty was counted. Scans measured lean tissue, not strength. The release does not split results by sex. A later home-interval paper and an HIV exercise trial are cited as separate studies, not as this trial. People who are inactive or who have a medical condition were pointed toward building up slowly and getting guidance before hard intervals. Educational notes. This is not a training prescription.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at University of the Sunshine Coast / Maturitas